Micanopy Baptist church splits in two

By MEGAN ROLLAND

Published: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 9:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 9:00 p.m.

MICANOPY - MICANOPY - As church bells ring signaling the beginning of Sunday services, parishioners file into the First Baptist Church of Micanopy, and just across the street a group of former First Baptist members gather to worship at Town Hall.

The two buildings face each other on the main drag in Micanopy, Cholokka Boulevard, but those who broke from the main church more than a month ago use the back door at Town Hall.

The dispute involves a change in the leadership of the church from a democratic process in which all active church members were able to vote on matters to a system where only the "board of elders" votes on matters.

According to Wayne Harvey, director of missions for the Santa Fe River Baptist Association, the debate about how a church should be governed is not new.

"We ought to go to the Bible, of course, and there were some decisions made by elders and some were made by the congregation, but it's difficult to say for certain that there was elder rule or there was pure democracy," Harvey said.

Harvey said that while some of the 45 congregations that are members of the Santa Fe River Baptist Association have elected elders who make decisions, none of them have elder rule in which the position holders make all the decisions.

"First Micanopy is the only one that has elder rule," Harvey said. "They left our association last November."

Two weeks ago a lawsuit was filed against the church's pastors, Wes Jamison and Eric Redmond, alleging among other things that the two men unlawfully removed members from the church and changed documents without following proper procedure.

Jamison and Redmond, who have since left the church, both declined to comment on the complaint but referred to the Bible passage 1 Corinthians 6, 1-8, which reads in part: "Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?"

<p><em>MICANOPY</em> - MICANOPY - As church bells ring signaling the beginning of Sunday services, parishioners file into the First Baptist Church of Micanopy, and just across the street a group of former First Baptist members gather to worship at Town Hall.</p><p>The two buildings face each other on the main drag in Micanopy, Cholokka Boulevard, but those who broke from the main church more than a month ago use the back door at Town Hall.</p><p>The dispute involves a change in the leadership of the church from a democratic process in which all active church members were able to vote on matters to a system where only the "board of elders" votes on matters.</p><p>According to Wayne Harvey, director of missions for the Santa Fe River Baptist Association, the debate about how a church should be governed is not new.</p><p>"We ought to go to the Bible, of course, and there were some decisions made by elders and some were made by the congregation, but it's difficult to say for certain that there was elder rule or there was pure democracy," Harvey said.</p><p>Harvey said that while some of the 45 congregations that are members of the Santa Fe River Baptist Association have elected elders who make decisions, none of them have elder rule in which the position holders make all the decisions.</p><p>"First Micanopy is the only one that has elder rule," Harvey said. "They left our association last November."</p><p>Two weeks ago a lawsuit was filed against the church's pastors, Wes Jamison and Eric Redmond, alleging among other things that the two men unlawfully removed members from the church and changed documents without following proper procedure.</p><p>Jamison and Redmond, who have since left the church, both declined to comment on the complaint but referred to the Bible passage 1 Corinthians 6, 1-8, which reads in part: "Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?"</p>